Several Nations Request Urgent Consultations On North Korea

15 Mai 2017

North Korea said it had successfully tested a new mid-to-long range missile on Sunday aimed at verifying its capability to carry a "large scale heavy nuclear warhead".

The North fired a ballistic missile that landed in the sea near Russian Federation on Sunday in a launch that Washington called a message to South Korea, days after its new president took office pledging to engage Pyongyang in dialogue. Regardless of what Pyongyang may have intended, the likely result is that the new administration will have fewer options to work with.

Washington and Tokyo called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, which was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. "The greatest responsibility for bringing North Korea to its".

North Korea has said that its Sunday's test-fire of a ground-to-ground ballistic missile proved the missile is capable of carrying a large nuclear warhead.

In April the North put dozens of missiles on show at a giant military parade through the streets of Pyongyang, including one that appeared to be the type of device launched on Sunday.

This "lofted" trajectory would be equivalent to over 4,500km if launched at a standard trajectory, putting United States bases in Guam well in range.

The world has become increasingly concerned about North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

U.S. Treasury yields dropped to 2.292 percent, building on Friday's loss when they ended at 2.333 percent, down from Thursday's close of 2.4 percent and their biggest one-day drop in more than three weeks.

Although there are still plenty of technical hurdles to be overcome, many analysts believe North Korea will eventually achieve Kim's stated goal of developing an ICBM that can reach the mainland United States.

Photos from the March 7 edition of the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, of a missile test launch the previous day.

North Korean propaganda must be considered with wariness, but if confirmed, the claim marks another big step forward in the country's escalating efforts to field a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the USA mainland.

South Korea's newly elected President Moon Jae-in, who is seeking deeper engagement with the North, said it was a "reckless provocation" while China, North Korea's only real ally, is urging restraint. "But putting China and South Korea in an awkward position with unending provocations will ultimately not help Pyongyang create the conditions for dialogue with the US", Kim added.

"The South Korean people are longing for new politics, new society and new life and the election was a reflection of this popular sentiment", Ji told reporters in Beijing.

Most Asian currencies edged up against the dollar on Monday, shrugging off threats from a ransomware attack that locked up more than 200,000 computers in more than 150 countries, and a missile test by North Korea.

In fact, it took a very high trajectory after being launched from Kusong in western North Korea and landed in the Sea of Japan outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone. Reaching the U.S. West Coast would require a missile with a range of more than 8,000 km.

Experts say it could have flown for 2,500 miles if launched at a flatter angle.

North Korea is not thought to be able yet to make a nuclear warhead small enough to mount on a long-range missile, though some outside analysts think they can arm shorter range missiles with warheads; each new nuclear and longer-range missile test is part of the North's attempt to build a nuclear-tipped long-range missile.